


Reunion

by lilucath



Category: The Shannara Chronicles (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-18
Updated: 2016-02-18
Packaged: 2018-05-21 13:09:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6052752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilucath/pseuds/lilucath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I'm so glad, you're okay.” Quickly as if she feared that the girl could disappear again, Amberle pulled her into a hug. She could feel how the rover stiffened against her touch, but just as she was about to let go, she felt the girl relax and wrap her arms around her waist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> Let's be honest, we all want a Princess Rover hug. But 1x08 didn't give that us, so this is my version of their reunion and the long awaited hug.
> 
> Written for Joana: http://setthedarkonfire.tumblr.com/

They had been running through the woods for about an hour. Amberle could barely make out the silhouette of the small rover in front of her. The short girl seemed to know exactly where to step, making almost no sounds in comparison to Wil, panting behind her, stepping on almost every branch there was. The girl warned them of the troll traps they encountered and guided them around them.

At some point Eretria stopped them in front of a huge stone wall and pointed to a big hole in the stone behind a few bushes, with the words that that cave had been deserted for years.

After the few minutes they needed to catch their breaths, Amberle was still supporting herself by leaning against a tree just like Wil, as Eretria already stood upright again.

“We need to go look for some woods for a fire that we can lighten in the opening of the cave. That way the heat will travel further into the hole, but still without blankets it's gonna be a really cold night.” Eretria spoke to Wil who then turned around and disappeared in between the trees. 

“Eretria?” Amberle faced the rover who was still shouting something after Wil.

“Don't stray too far though.”

“Eretria?” Her voice was more firm, but somehow the girl was still preoccupied by the half elf.

“And look out for traps. I don't want to rescue you again tonight.”

“Eretria!” Amberle was shouting now, and finally the brunette acknowledged her presence.

“What?”

“I'm so glad, you're okay.” Quickly as if she feared that the girl could disappear again, Amberle pulled her into a hug. She could feel how the rover stiffened against her touch, but just as she was about to let go, she felt the girl relax and wrap her arms around her waist.

Wil chose that moment to return, his arms full with branches.

“What is happening here?”

“Don't think you're getting all the hugs, short tips.” Amberle could see the grin on Eretria's face as they parted.

“I don't think that.” The boy let the pieces of wood he was carrying drop to the ground.

“Whatever. Princess, you okay with stacking the fire?”

Amberle watched the playful exchanged of words between them with delight. “Sure.”

As she stepped into the cave that only went about four meters into the stone, but was almost as a high as she was tall, Wil and Eretria disappeared into the woods again.

 

It took them a few minutes before the first flames was crawling along the branches. The woods were very humid and the damp wood made it hard to lighten the fire. 

When the fire was finally burning on its own and their shallows danced on the walls of the cave, Amberle watched how Eretria leaned her back against a wall. With shaking fingers she lifted her shirt to check her wound.

“Do you want me to take a look at that?”

Eretria only nodded, her teeth clenched together in pain.

Amberle could tell that someone at least a bit professional had attended her wound, but the fight with the humans and the trolls and the run through the forest had loosened the stitches. At one point it must have started to bleed again, Eretria's stomach was smeared with the dark-red now dried substance.

“Wil, can you pass me the water bottle?” Amberle waited until the boy had handed her the bottle, she then damped the cloth in her hand. She gave Eretria a questioning look, asking if it was okay for her to clean the wound. The rover nodded.

Carefully she rubbed the cloth against the soft skin of the girl in front of her, trying to clean the wound and the area surrounding it so that they had a better view of the extent of the damage. Every time she got too close to the cut, Eretria flinched and Amberle could feel her heart ache. Seeing the girl in pain hurt her as well. She just wasn't quiet sure when the relationship between them had changed. A few weeks ago, she couldn't have imagined feeling sorry for the girl, let alone feel her pain just as much as she was the one injured.

 

Eretria had volunteered for the first watch and Amberle laid down next to Wil in the back of the cave. She could see the outline of the girl in the opening of the cave next to the fire.

Amberle desperately tried to fall asleep, but the events from the last few days kept playing in front of her eyes making it impossible to find rest. After turning underneath her jacket for what felt like an eternity, she got up and walked towards the glimmer of the fire. 

“Do you mind, if I sit with you for bit? Can't sleep.”

“No, sure.” Eretria had a long branch in her hand with which she kept poking into the fire.

“Eretria? Can I ask you something?”

The shorter girl just nodded, without turning her face away from the opening of the cave.

“Did you really mean it?”

“Did I really mean what?”

”That you would tell them that we are elves.”

Finally, Eretria looked at her. “Honestly? No. I was just angry. You two are annoying as hell, but you don't deserve that.”

Amberle barely managed to give the girl a small smile, before she turned her head again, watching the treeline.

They sat in silence for a while, listening to Wil snoring in the back of the cave and the noises of the forest outside, before Eretria spoke up again.

“Did you mean it? I mean that you would have stayed?”

“Yes, of course. You are not alone anymore, Eretria.” Before Amberle could stop herself she placed a hand on Eretria's that was laying on her leg and squeezed it reassuringly. “And I didn't just come back for the map, you have to believe me. You are as much part of this journey as Wil and I. I am sorry though, that you didn't get to choose this.”

Eretria seemed to be caught up in her own thoughts watching her hand before she answered her. “I did choose this. At Pykon. I could have just left you, but I didn't.”

“And for that I am very thankful. So thank you again for saving me life.” She squeezed her hand again before pulling it back.

“Thank you for coming to Utopia to look for me.” 

“It seemed like we were handling yourself pretty well.” 

“They would have probably scarified me, if you two hadn't shown up. And Cephalo.”

Amberle nodded. “But as much as I hate to admit it, they did know how to throw a party.”

“Well, who doesn't like dressing up and dancing?”

“Yeah, about that dress...” Amberle didn't manage to continue that sentence.

“What about that dress?” Eretria had now completely turned towards her.

Her mouth was suddenly really dry, but she pressed out. “You looked really beautiful.”

Amberle could have sworn that even in the dim light of the fire Eretria's cheeks turned bright red and she felt herself smirk.

“Thanks. But I bet it was nothing against the gowns you have at your palace.”

“Beauty doesn't come from what kind of dress you're wearing. It comes from how you wear it.”

“Did they tell you that?” An amused expression was wandering across Eretria's face.

“No. That's just how it is. You looked so happy, so free.”

“I have to admit, for the moment I really thought I had found the freedom I wanted. It was nice. Just dancing, feeling free.”

“And then we showed up, destroying that.”

“No, you showed up and I realized that it wasn't what I wanted anymore. And that made me angry.” Eretria grinned at her and her voice changed into a mocking tone. “Because how dare you? You already managed to turn my whole world upside down.”

“Sorry for that”

“It's the fault of your tree. And if a tree tells you to do something, you gotta do it, right?”

The two girls smiled at each other for a moment, when a cold wind blew into the cave, causing the flames flicker and Amberle to shiver.

“Are you cold?”

“Its alright. It's just the wind.” To keep herself from shaking she pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them.

“Don't be ridiculous. After saving your ass this often, I won't let you die because you catch a cold or freeze to death. Come here.”Eretria lifted her arm and motioned her to come closer.

Amberle quickly crawled towards her and snuggled up to her shoulder, as Eretria placed her arms around her.

“You know, as much as your ears poke my neck right now. I am really glad that the elf hunters didn't cut them off.”

“I understand that I am very relived I got to keep my ears. But why would you be glad?” Amberle shifted so she could look at the girl holding her close.

“You look cuter that way.” Eretria's comment made her blush, she was sure she had now the same color of the fire in front of them.

“Are you hitting on me again?”

“Depends... Is it working?” Amberle should see the cocky smile form on Eretria's lips.

“Yes. Kinda.”

 

They kept talking for a while, until Amberle noticed that Eretria had fallen asleep against her shoulder. She managed to stay awake for a few more hours, keeping the fire burning by throwing pieces of wood into the flames from the pile next to them, yet never leaving Eretria's embrace. Partly because she didn't want to wake the shorter girl. She had an exhausting day behind her. Another part of her didn't want to move, because she found herself enjoying being this close to the girl.

As she noticed that her eyelids kept getting heavier, she gently woke Eretria by repeating her name until she got a reaction from her. When she finally saw that the girl was waking up she added, “Eretria. Let's go in the back of the cave. Wil can stand guard now.”

The rover didn't answer nor opened her eyes. Instead she followed Amberle as she stood up never really loosing the contact between them and let her guide her further into the cave. There Eretria sunk to the ground, her hand still attached to Amberle's forearm, as if she was waiting for her to join her.

“Wil.” Amberle carefully shook the boy to wake him up.

“Wha... What's wrong?” Wil jolted up, his eyes looking around the dark cave.

“Nothing. It's just your turn to keep watch.”

“Oh, okay. Alright.”

While rubbing his eyes to get rid of last bit of sleep still clinging onto him, the boy shuffled towards the opening in the stone wall, settling down next to the fire.

Amberle then laid down next to Eretria and the rover immediately rolled over and wrapped her arms around her again.

The warmth of the contact crawled through her clothes and she felt how the long anticipated sleep took over her senses.

 

“Amberle?” A voice echoed through the white blissful nothing.

“Amberle?” Slowly but steady she was ribbed away from her dreams back into the real world.

“Yes?” She tried to lift her arms to rub her eyes, but a heavy weight on her left side hindered her arm from moving.

When she finally managed to open her eyes, she was blinded by rays of sunlight falling into the cave.

“Time to wake up.” Wil was hovering over her, his head tilted to the side. The cave wasn't high enough for him to be standing upright.“But please tell me. What exactly am I look at here?”

Amberle then turned her head look at the weight on her side and laid eyes on Eretria still snuggled up to her. Both of her arms wrapped around Amberle's waist and her own arm still around the girl's shoulders.

Without opening her eyes, Eretria spoke up, her voice still carrying sleep. “Like I said. You are not the only one the princess likes to hug.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any suggestions or questions or just want to yell at me, come talk to me on tumblr. http://lilucath.tumblr.com


End file.
